The Monster's Playbook

It turns out, even if the future is scary, the past can be even worse. For the last year, Mark, Kira, Anna, and Theo have been discovering more about themselves than they ever wanted to. But if there's one thing we've learned on this journey, it's that no challenge goes away until you confront it. Even the scary ones. You know what? Especially the scary ones. ------- If you liked this episode, ple...

Have you ever been so angry that it felt like you were a different person? Kira Ashwood has. And it's finally time for her to reconcile with the part of herself she's spent so much of her life trying to keep at arm's length. But she can't do it alone. That's the thing about being a person: You need other people. And sometimes, you even need people you don't want to need. ------- If you liked this...

What do you do when you're scared? When the forces allied against you seem truly unstoppable? When even your very best hope seems—at best—confusing to work with? Well, if you're the crew of the Cover Story, you take some time to just hang out! They've created what may be one of the most dangerous artifacts in creation, but this week, they'll be spending some time with an even more powerful asset:...

This one is a must for any aspiring GMs and Keepers. It's The Great Monster Make-Off! Jonny was lucky enough to be invited onto Sero's stream with Ian and Cap (Shrimp and Crits), for a game show hosted by Sero and Monster Daddy himself, the creator of Monster of the Week, Michael Sands! It'll take more creativity than usual for Jonny, Ian and Cap to build monsters, mysteries and more right before...

A lot has gone down, and there's clearly more to come. So how are we all feeling? Join us as we digest Act 2 of Season 3, and check in with the players as we head into what will become … our Endgame. -------- If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help us spread the word and don't forget to share with your friends. We love friends! Subscribe to our Patreon: Head to our Patr...

The Kingdoms of There have a vital purpose. A threat to them is a threat to everything. Unfortunately, there are so. Many. Threats. And only Kira, Anna, Mark and Theo—and their friends—know enough to face them. But around here? Knowing is WAY more than half the battle. Content Warning: Brief mention of suicidal thoughts ------- If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help us...

So here's the plan: Fight fire with fire. It's simple, but it won't be easy. The forge is under the control of an unscrupulous wing of the Magio, the stones that will serve as materials are… unstable at best, and even once they find this forge, what kind of weapon will be strong enough to save the whole world? ------- If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help us spread th...

What do you do when you're walking around with a weapon that can destroy everything? Keep it pointed at the bad guys. The hunt is on for a legendary forge that can craft vital resources out of the team's most dangerous liabilities. They have more than one mystic stone imbued with the flames from the end of the world. I guess using that stone to build something is.... certainly An Option. C...

Okay, it's time once again to ask our favorite question: What the hell do we do now!? The immediate threat from The Magio has been handled, but now an even bigger threat looms. And some of the biggest players in the game want Mark, Theo, Kira and Anna to get on the front lines in a battle they're only just beginning to understand. Lock and load, people. ------- If you liked this episode, please le...

All families have secrets. But when your family is the head of a magical organized crime outfit, your secrets are going to be a little bit bigger than most. We'll have to go pretty deep to get to the bottom of this one. Deep like all the way into the underworld. So pack light, and dress warm. We're going to finish this one way or the other. ------- If you liked this episode, please leave a rating...

The Magio has one rule above all others: You do not contact the dead. And Theo Nessos is about to break it. She's going to get to the bottom of the one mystery that's defined her adult life: How and why did Selena Nessos die? ------- If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help us spread the word and don't forget to share with your friends. We love friends! Subscribe to our...

Project Littlebear. One of the notorious Nathaniel Rose's pet projects. But what is it? Donovan and Kira go behind enemy lines to see what's behind the project. But where Nathaniel Rose is involved, you just KNOW it's not gonna be a teddy bear factory. ------- If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help us spread the word and don't forget to share with your friends. We love...

If you thought the Nessos siblings were spooky, wait until you meet the rest of The Family. Something is happening behind closed doors in the Magio, and when it comes to our local magical Casa Nostra, that's literally never good. -------- If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help us spread the word and don't forget to share with your friends. We love friends! Subscribe to...

What did you think we meant by "ghosts of the past"?! Someone very important comes back into our story that we thought we might never see again. But… she's been changed, man. She's seen some things. And some stuff. And stunningly, the person best equipped to help her might just be a stoner ghost who just wants to hang out, bro. ------- If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to...

The Undying Soldier seems to have made her move, so it's all hands on deck to try to put a stop to the very annoying cult she serves, and the sinister machine she's helping to fuel. To make the stakes even higher, if they can't steal that machine back, they'll have no way to stop the oncoming apocalypse. So y'know. No pressure. ------- If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to...

The thing about prophecies is you can never be sure if you're better off ignoring them or obeying them. The team decides to split the difference and investigate some mysteries. Can we get in touch with Ember? Can we track down the Heat Sink to stave off the apocalypse? And can we learn anything else from the catchy little ditty we heard by that robot from the future? ------- If you liked this epis...

Now that they've caught their breath, it's time to make a plan. Some big things are happening in the world of the Cover Story, which means the hunters are going to have to do some big things themselves to keep their friends and their world safe. The team is hitting the books, and the bad guys are about to learn that knowing is way more than half the battle. ------- If you liked this episode, pleas...

What do you do after you've trudged through hell and battled the devil himself? If you're Mark Clayton, you go shopping! It's a desperate quest for some normalcy on our show this week. Which always works out GREAT! ------- If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help us spread the word and don't forget to share with your friends. We love friends! Subscribe to our Patreon: He...

So much has happened, but what does it all mean? Well, we can't tell you everything, but we can tell you how we feel about it. Join the cast as we reminisce on everything that's happened in the first Act of the final Season of The Cover Story. Let's indulge in all that intensity as we revisit the Family Business, Dead Sea, Reaper, Face to Face and Witchwood arcs. WE HAVE A LOT OF FEELI...

It's time to finally face down Tower—or whatever she's become—as well as her new ally. And if that ally lives There, it is not going to be good. This week on the Cover Story? The Truth Hurts. -------- If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help us spread the word and don't forget to share with your friends. We love friends! Subscribe to our Patreon: Head to our...

It's true what they say: "Nothing Lives in the Sea Kingdom." But that doesn't mean there isn't something bad lurking inside. Turns out you don't have to be alive to cause problems, and the people our heroes are after are causing some SERIOUS problems. -------- If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help us spread the word and don't forget to sh...

Welcome back to BOOK CLUB! This time John had the chance to talk with David (Trials of the Apocalypse), Quinn (Monster Hour) and Natalie (The Storyteller Squad) about how they create game worlds that capture the hearts and minds of players and audiences alike. This is an amazing peek behind the curtain of some of our favorite shows that you won't want to miss! -------- If you liked this episod...

The Witchwood is an ancient tree, a boundless source of arcane power. But for years, it's been lost to the world. Turns out, it's not so lost anymore! Good news: the team's new ally can use powerful magic again. Bad news? So can whoever has found it. Yeah, we don't know what they're up to but we know we want to stop them. ------- If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help...

It's another case of bad news, worse news. Bad news? Otherworldly fog is invading the city. Worse news? Kira's apprentice Gad has gone missing investigating it. By now the team knows that the best way to get ahead of something weird is to bring in something weirder. And that's exactly what they do by reaching out to someone from Mark's mother's former coven. -------- If you lik...

It’s time for an assault on the Stroud Manor. That’s where their friend Aaron is, it’s where their enemy Nathaniel Rose is. It’s time to finally put an end to this. But what, exactly, has Nathaniel been doing this whole time? And will it be too late to stop him? Content Warning: This episode contains violence, body horror, and dissociative episodes.